The Gilmore Foundation is a private grantmaking foundation established in 2009 and based in Peoria, Illinois. The foundation supports the development and improvement of the tri-county community encompassing Peoria, Tazewell, and Woodford counties in Illinois. Since its inception, the foundation has distributed over $18 million to local organizations and manages approximately $63 million in assets.
Financial Overview
From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing
Total Assets
$64.3M
+1.6% YoY
Annual Giving
$4.3M
+90.9% YoY
Grant Count
25
+0.0% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$174K
+90.9% YoY
Mission & Focus Areas
The foundation's areas of focus are:
- Culture — enhancing culture related to art, music, dance, history, and theater
- Community Development — improving society through youth development, human services, abuse prevention, education, and shelters
- Economic Development — job creation through capital improvement projects that assist in the development of the community's infrastructure
Grantmaking
The foundation does not operate structured grant programs with specific funding tiers. Instead, grants are awarded based on organizational need and project scope, ranging from moderate multi-year commitments to major one-time transformational gifts.
Grant Range
$50,000 to $1 million+
Average Grant
approximately $91,000
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Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation's geographic focus is the tri-county area of central Illinois:
- Peoria County
- Tazewell County
- Woodford County
The foundation also supports projects in New York.
Grant Distribution by State
Cities
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
Assets:
- Total assets: $63.3 million (2023)
- Total assets: $64.3 million (2024)
Annual Activity:
- Total giving: $4.3 million (2024)
- Total giving: $2.3 million (2023)
- Revenue: $5.5 million (2023)
- Expenses: $5.01 million (2023)
- Total liabilities: $0 (2023)
Tax Status:
- 501(c)(3) private foundation
- Tax-exempt since March 2010
- EIN: 27-1400179
| Metric | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $64,290,507 | $63,273,256 | $62,784,302 |
| Revenue | $6,031,811 | $5,500,862 | $3,569,589 |
| Expenses | $5,014,560 | $5,011,908 | $3,993,610 |
| Qualifying Distributions | $4,727,211 | $4,775,554 | $3,579,929 |
| Net Investment Income | $3,508,160 | $2,614,269 | $2,632,064 |
| Distributable Amount | $3,763,860 | $3,350,566 | $3,349,563 |
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
Grant Insights
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
Grant Size Distribution
142 grants across all recorded years
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
No grants recorded for .
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
Laura Cullinan — President
Board of Directors:
- Douglas Oberhelman — President and Director
- Lawrence Williams IV — Director
- Nathan R. Miller — Director
- Sid Banwart — Director
- Sara Rusch — Director
- Katie McCord Jenkins — Director
- Todd Sheridan — Director
- Jon Michael — Director
- Scott Martin — Director
- Chris Reynolds — Director
All directors serve part-time without compensation.
Founder: Bob Gilmore (1920–2020) established the foundation. A Peoria native and World War II veteran, Gilmore served as President and Chief Operating Officer of Caterpillar Tractor Company from 1977 to 1985. For the last 40 years of his life, he and his foundation quietly supported charities, cultural initiatives, and job creation in Peoria.
Compensation Overview
From 2024 IRS filing
From 2024 filing
| Name | Title | Hours | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| DOUGLAS OBERHELMAN | CHAIRMAN & DIRECTOR | 0.5 | — |
| LAWRENCE WILLIAMS IV | TREASURER & DIRECTOR | 0.5 | — |
| NATHAN R MILLER | SECRETARY & DIRECTOR | 0.5 | — |
| SID BANWART | DIRECTOR | 0.5 | — |
| SARA RUSCH | VICE PRESIDENT & DIRECTOR | 0.5 | — |
| KATIE MCCORD JENKINS | DIRECTOR | 0.5 | — |
| TODD SHERIDAN | DIRECTOR | 0.5 | — |
| JON MICHAEL | DIRECTOR | 0.5 | — |
| SCOTT MARTIN | DIRECTOR | 0.5 | — |
| CHRIS REYNOLDS | DIRECTOR | 0.5 | — |
| LAURA CULLINAN | PRESIDENT | 0.5 | — |
Contact Information
Gilmore Foundation 5823 N. Forest Park Drive Peoria, IL 61614 Phone: (309) 685-0033 Fax: (309) 685-3665 Website: www.gilmorefndn.org
Subject Areas
Focus areas based on grantmaking activity
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Data last updated April 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated April 2026.
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